In September, PEW Research Center published a new survey: In 17 advanced economies spanning North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region there is widespread concern about the personal impact of global climate change. Most citizens say they are willing to change how they live and work at least some to combat the effects of global warming, but whether their efforts will make an impact is unclear.
So what can we do? For one, you can work with your students on Going Green, our flagship program. As many of you know, it is not just a curriculum that students and teachers work with. It is also a call to action. Students will develop their own action plans and influence their families, school communities and friends by doing so. “Not enough,” you might say. But we have got to start somewhere.
This past week we hosted a fireside chat with Bill McKibben, author, educator, environmentalist, and founder of https://350.org. As he rightly pointed out, we cannot leave the hard work up to 17-year-olds. He has therefore come out of climate activist retirement and founded a brand-new organization called ThirdAct.org. Bill McKibben is reaching out to the so-called Boomer generation to get involved. They have the time, the resources, and the skills to lobby their governments and tackle fossil fuel companies to combat climate change – side-by-side with their grandchildren. So maybe your students find this as interesting as I do and will motivate their grandparents to return to activism that they have participated in or witnessed when they were young.
If you missed Bill McKibben’s talk with Miranda Schreurs, Professor and climate expert at TU Munich, we will upload the video shortly and inform you here on teachaboutus.org.
Another event you might have missed: our very first fireside chat on September 30 with Dr. Katharine Wilkinson, author, strategist, teacher and co-founder of The All We Can Save Project and Prof. Dr. Catrin Gersdorf, Chair of American Studies at Würzburg University. Named one of 15 “women who will save the world” (Time) and one of the “100 most influential people in gender policy” (Apolitical), Wilkinson brings a fresh perspective to combating climate change. She highlights contributions by indigenous women around the world and motivates especially women and girls to become engaged. Check out the video here.
Foto: M. Kohl
All these events are meant to support you in your important work in the classroom. We will continue the series next year with discussions on climate justice and other related topic. So please engage with Going Green-Education for Sustainability and let us know if we can assist you.
With best regards on behalf of the Teach About US team,
Dr. Martina Kohl